Ligovski wrote:Hi, I’m a longtime fan, first-time poster. I also was wondering if anyone had any expierence negotiating aid from Michigan or do they strictly keep to the “we don’t ‘compete’ with the aid offers from other schools” clause in the award letters?

I’m looking at 67k at Duke and 45k at Michigan and would really love to attend Michigan and join the join JD/MA Russian program but 20k is a decent amount of money.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

If somebody doesn't have a scholarship offer from Michigan I think they could have success in negotiating aid if they have other offers. However, for those that already have merit aid offers, the scholarship letter states something along the lines of offers not being increased once they are made.

That being said, I tried asking for more and was told no (very nicely I might add, Dean Z continues to be my favorite). Can't hurt to try to negotiate for more, but it seems like their policy to not increase offers is pretty strict.

Ligovski wrote:Hi, I’m a longtime fan, first-time poster. I also was wondering if anyone had any expierence negotiating aid from Michigan or do they strictly keep to the “we don’t ‘compete’ with the aid offers from other schools” clause in the award letters?

I’m looking at 67k at Duke and 45k at Michigan and would really love to attend Michigan and join the join JD/MA Russian program but 20k is a decent amount of money.

Thanks in advance for any insight.

If somebody doesn't have a scholarship offer from Michigan I think they could have success in negotiating aid if they have other offers. However, for those that already have merit aid offers, the scholarship letter states something along the lines of offers not being increased once they are made.

That being said, I tried asking for more and was told no (very nicely I might add, Dean Z continues to be my favorite). Can't hurt to try to negotiate for more, but it seems like their policy to not increase offers is pretty strict.

This is true. I was successful in receiving scholarship after negotiation, however I was not initially offered any money at all. I believe you can only negotiate successfully if you were not offered any merit aid up front. I was polite and honest when I negotiated. Just don't be a jerk, and I think your chances of success will go up.

Negotiating works if you don't initially get any dough. I had nothing- wrote to financial aid and ended up with 25k. Not exactly a fortune, but not exactly peanuts either. If you didn't get any, definitely give it a shot.

I'd love to have some more housing discussion going on. Checked out Woodbury last weekend and it seemed pretty alright...I definitely want to keep looking, though. If anyone has had good experiences with other quiet, well-kept complexes in the area for a similar (or slightly higher) price point, I'm all ears.

Tangerine Gleam wrote:I'd love to have some more housing discussion going on. Checked out Woodbury last weekend and it seemed pretty alright...I definitely want to keep looking, though. If anyone has had good experiences with other quiet, well-kept complexes in the area for a similar (or slightly higher) price point, I'm all ears.

I'm getting to this point in my LS process and would love to hear the impressions that people have had re: housing.

Tangerine Gleam wrote:I'd love to have some more housing discussion going on. Checked out Woodbury last weekend and it seemed pretty alright...I definitely want to keep looking, though. If anyone has had good experiences with other quiet, well-kept complexes in the area for a similar (or slightly higher) price point, I'm all ears.

I'm getting to this point in my LS process and would love to hear the impressions that people have had re: housing.

Same...leaning towards Woodbury (at least for 1L year) due to its closeness to the Law School. We drove through Woodbury during ASW but weren't able to see the inside of any of the apartments.

Is it pretty much a given that I will have to sign a 1 year lease and eat the rent during the summer or are there any places that are flexible in providing 9 month leases?

Tangerine Gleam wrote:I'd love to have some more housing discussion going on. Checked out Woodbury last weekend and it seemed pretty alright...I definitely want to keep looking, though. If anyone has had good experiences with other quiet, well-kept complexes in the area for a similar (or slightly higher) price point, I'm all ears.

I'm getting to this point in my LS process and would love to hear the impressions that people have had re: housing.

Same...leaning towards Woodbury (at least for 1L year) due to its closeness to the Law School. We drove through Woodbury during ASW but weren't able to see the inside of any of the apartments.

Is it pretty much a given that I will have to sign a 1 year lease and eat the rent during the summer or are there any places that are flexible in providing 9 month leases?

I looked at Woodbury but liked Harbor House better. It is a little bigger for only a small amount of money. You get an undergrad garage space, and the #7 bus stops right outside the complex. (The #7 drops of .5 mile from the law school...you can also drive/walk .5 mile to the park & ride and take the #36 bus straight to the school)

The apartments in Woodbury felt a little dated and chintzy. (Nothing too bad, but cheap metal folding closet doors running down one entire wall where the closets/utility closet are all in a row.)

Tangerine Gleam wrote:I'd love to have some more housing discussion going on. Checked out Woodbury last weekend and it seemed pretty alright...I definitely want to keep looking, though. If anyone has had good experiences with other quiet, well-kept complexes in the area for a similar (or slightly higher) price point, I'm all ears.

I'm getting to this point in my LS process and would love to hear the impressions that people have had re: housing.

Same...leaning towards Woodbury (at least for 1L year) due to its closeness to the Law School. We drove through Woodbury during ASW but weren't able to see the inside of any of the apartments.

Is it pretty much a given that I will have to sign a 1 year lease and eat the rent during the summer or are there any places that are flexible in providing 9 month leases?

woodbury has this thing that you can 'store' the apartment for the summer and not have to pay very much. but if they find a summer sublettor, then you have no choice but to have it be let. You can ask them about the details.

The nice thing about Woodbury is the convenience. The 6 bus goes door to door. Including the walk from my apartment to the front of the complex the whole thing takes about 15 minutes. The actual bus ride is about 7 minutes.

Tangerine Gleam wrote:I'd love to have some more housing discussion going on. Checked out Woodbury last weekend and it seemed pretty alright...I definitely want to keep looking, though. If anyone has had good experiences with other quiet, well-kept complexes in the area for a similar (or slightly higher) price point, I'm all ears.

I'm getting to this point in my LS process and would love to hear the impressions that people have had re: housing.

Same...leaning towards Woodbury (at least for 1L year) due to its closeness to the Law School. We drove through Woodbury during ASW but weren't able to see the inside of any of the apartments.

Is it pretty much a given that I will have to sign a 1 year lease and eat the rent during the summer or are there any places that are flexible in providing 9 month leases?

woodbury has this thing that you can 'store' the apartment for the summer and not have to pay very much. but if they find a summer sublettor, then you have no choice but to have it be let. You can ask them about the details.

The nice thing about Woodbury is the convenience. The 6 bus goes door to door. Including the walk from my apartment to the front of the complex the whole thing takes about 15 minutes. The actual bus ride is about 7 minutes.

That's nice to know...you'd think she would have said something about that. How do you like the neighborhood? Any complaints?

Tangerine Gleam wrote:I'd love to have some more housing discussion going on. Checked out Woodbury last weekend and it seemed pretty alright...I definitely want to keep looking, though. If anyone has had good experiences with other quiet, well-kept complexes in the area for a similar (or slightly higher) price point, I'm all ears.

I'm getting to this point in my LS process and would love to hear the impressions that people have had re: housing.

Same...leaning towards Woodbury (at least for 1L year) due to its closeness to the Law School. We drove through Woodbury during ASW but weren't able to see the inside of any of the apartments.

Is it pretty much a given that I will have to sign a 1 year lease and eat the rent during the summer or are there any places that are flexible in providing 9 month leases?

I met with a Woodbury leasing agent and toured the model 1 bedroom. I'm pretty sure I'll be getting a 9 month lease there, if I decide to go to Michigan (still in limbo). The model I saw was an upgrade version (you pay extra for things like different colored doors, a microwave over the stove, etc). They have 1 bedrooms with washer and dryers and without (coin laundry at the bottom level of the building).

Feel free to PM me if you want more info on Woodbury if you didn't get a chance to tour or meet someone there. I also saw Hidden Valley, but it was farther from the school and made me feel like I was in Soviet Russia.

Tangerine Gleam wrote:I'd love to have some more housing discussion going on. Checked out Woodbury last weekend and it seemed pretty alright...I definitely want to keep looking, though. If anyone has had good experiences with other quiet, well-kept complexes in the area for a similar (or slightly higher) price point, I'm all ears.

I'm getting to this point in my LS process and would love to hear the impressions that people have had re: housing.

Same...leaning towards Woodbury (at least for 1L year) due to its closeness to the Law School. We drove through Woodbury during ASW but weren't able to see the inside of any of the apartments.

Is it pretty much a given that I will have to sign a 1 year lease and eat the rent during the summer or are there any places that are flexible in providing 9 month leases?

I looked at Woodbury but liked Harbor House better. It is a little bigger for only a small amount of money. You get an undergrad garage space, and the #7 bus stops right outside the complex. (The #7 drops of .5 mile from the law school...you can also drive/walk .5 mile to the park & ride and take the #36 bus straight to the school)

The apartments in Woodbury felt a little dated and chintzy. (Nothing too bad, but cheap metal folding closet doors running down one entire wall where the closets/utility closet are all in a row.)

I also felt the same way about Woodbury when I visited. For how nice the club house/leasing office was, I was expecting the apartments to be a little nicer considering the price. But the convenience factor and flexible leasing terms may be enough to offset the cons for others, but if I go with Michigan I'll probably try and find something else.

the complex itself is really nice and the people are mostly grad student types with some families thrown in.

the surrounding area is also pretty nice. there's a bar/bowling alley across the street and a nearby kroger's and cvs. There's a salvation army a little ways away. I dunno if that would be considered unsavory or not.

oh, the other thing I like about woodbury is the van service. They run a van to the business/law school around once an hour on weekdays. I saw the van sitting there on saturdays as well but I don't know if it actually runs on saturdays.

Tangerine Gleam wrote:I'd love to have some more housing discussion going on. Checked out Woodbury last weekend and it seemed pretty alright...I definitely want to keep looking, though. If anyone has had good experiences with other quiet, well-kept complexes in the area for a similar (or slightly higher) price point, I'm all ears.

I'm getting to this point in my LS process and would love to hear the impressions that people have had re: housing.

I've decided on the LC. It'll be a bit of a sacrifice with the dorm lifestyle, but I think the social benefits and convenience make it worth it (for me).